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It seems we have gone down the route of having more 1st year scholars sign from other clubs than from our u16 side. Which has it’s pro’s and cons - McGregor at 16 for example was a striker/winger who wasn’t really deemed likely to be end up in the first team yet by the end of his scholarship he was starting at RWB in the league for us and has been the most impactful academy player since Twine. Only 1 of the 1st year scholars this year came from the academy - certainly don’t want to go too heavy on this approach but external recruitment can also have its advantages eg. Ameen, Brown, Robinson. It’s about finding a balance.

This will probably not go down well but i massively believe that if from day 1 Clem said look Zav Austin is involved he will be doing this etc etc yes i know his past and also i am employing Adam Hart he will be doing this etc etc it's my decision rather than the smoke and mirrors we have had the last 4 years fans would have been annoyed but ended up just getting on with it

You do realise Zav Austin is legally not allowed to do so.

That's literally the point.

To be fair on Day 1(ish), Clem did say that Zav would be involved as vice chair and this was why, in this statement which is slightly surprisingly still on the website: https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2021/august/club-statement---zavier-austin/

That was obviously walked back (a bit, publicly) when it was clear he wasn't going to pass fit and proper persons.

It's Hart and Kiely who have always been in the background.

You do realise Zav Austin is legally not allowed to do so.

That's literally the point.

He is legally allowed to work for the club. I know what the point is and have said the same. My point was if they had done it all the proper way not tried making him a chairman and all that bollocks and just given him a fancy title and not tried hiding everything after many would have moved on , that is the point i am making

To be fair on Day 1(ish), Clem did say that Zav would be involved as vice chair and this was why, in this statement which is slightly surprisingly still on the website: https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2021/august/club-statement---zavier-austin/

That was obviously walked back (a bit, publicly) when it was clear he wasn't going to pass fit and proper persons.

It's Hart and Kiely who have always been in the background.

I get that, and I suspect if he did pass the fit and proper fans eventually would've just 'got on with it' as the poster above suggested. Whether they liked him or not.

But he didn't pass it. So the debate is pointless, as it could've never been a possibility.

When did he not pass it, I suspect that going forward if Morfuni wanted to apply again if the conviction/sentence sits at a certain point within the 'spent conviction' spectrum would he pass?

When did he not pass it, I suspect that going forward if Morfuni wanted to apply again if the conviction/sentence sits at a certain point within the 'spent conviction' spectrum would he pass?

This will probably not go down well but i massively believe that if from day 1 Clem said look Zav Austin is involved he will be doing this etc etc yes i know his past and also i am employing Adam Hart he will be doing this etc etc it's my decision rather than the smoke and mirrors we have had the last 4 years fans would have been annoyed but ended up just getting on with it

I'm counting day one as being "'transparent' in his takeover process, when gaining support from the trust and supporters club

It's pretty much day one after the fact. I don't disagree

It's pretty academic anyway, we've since gone to 'he's just a matchday guest' which is imo pretty unbelievable.

That's pretty transparent.

Why would he need to tell anybody?
He didn't "bring his own man in" anyway. Morfuni had already been involved in the Club for 7 years prior to taking over. Austin was also involved, as everyone knows. Both were already there and I imagine those involved with the Club knew that they were friends.

My point, anyway, is that Morfuni has always been open about Austin and the day after the takeover he announced that Austin would be part of the Club. Nobody seemed bothered at the time. And, to be honest, I'm not sure that Austin has done anything since that we should be worried out. His previous history, prior to his Swindon Town involvement, on the other hand is probably of more concern.

People were bothered. There's a 9 page thread on Austin himself on this forum.

Which was started on August 14th 2021. About a month after the takeover. A good 7 years after Austin first became involved with the Club. Fuck me, you're all on the ball aren't you?

Read through the "New beginnings" thread. Between the takeover date and that thread everyone was optimistic, fully behind "Clem". Then someone piped up about Austin. So for 7 years previously, Austin was known to have STFC involvement (before Morfuni was involved) before you all got bothered about it a month after Morfuni took over...

The day after Morfuni took over he announced Austin would be part of the club going forward (and he already was prior to that anyway). The point is that he has always been open and transparent on Austin being involved. Whatever you want to criticise Morfuni for you can't criticise him for that.

Righto. You can only be bothered about something if it's flagged immediately in the midst of euphoria in getting rid of Power.

I guess it's not unreasonable to think powers money guy would go with power.

Obviously it wasn't the case.

I've no desire to argue with you Bob. It doesn't really matter other than in trying to say what the "from day one" ment.

It's pretty symptomatic of my disappointment of the break from Power not being the clean and new start I expected.

I agree entirely with you. It's not great that we have certain individuals linked with the Club.

My whole point is that Morfuni gets slated for not being transparent, when he clearly has with regards to Austin.

anyway...

TRANSFER RUMOURS!

I guess it's not unreasonable to think powers money guy would go with power.

Obviously it wasn't the case.

It's pretty symptomatic of my disappointment of the break from Power not being the clean and new start I expected.

So you knew we had a money launderer involved in the club for 7 years before the statement made after takeover?

That's fair enough.

Totally missed it.

I guess it's not unreasonable to think powers money guy would go with power.

Obviously it wasn't the case.

I've no desire to argue with you Bob. It doesn't really matter other than in trying to say what the "from day one" ment.

It's pretty symptomatic of my disappointment of the break from Power not being the clean and new start I expected.

Isn't it the case that Austin actually got Morfuni involved (with both Power and the club) in the first place or did I image that, one would assume via common business interests. https://www.tes-group.co.uk/about/
 

Who are you even arguing with? TailBetweenLegs for his initial post that kicked this off? because nobody else is disputing that Clem was transparent about wanting Zav involved from the beginning.

My whole point is that Morfuni gets slated for not being transparent, when he clearly has with regards to Austin.

Well to pick of fight for the sake of it :) The statement made and the intent to make him vice Chairman was transparent. Less so subsequent observed influence v being a "matchday guest" after.

It's his name over the door, of course he can do something about it, it's almost like he is afraid to address it, like Austin has a hold over him or something..  makes you wonder eh  ;)

Don't forget, he is 100% owner of this football club..  until it turned out he was actually not being transparent and wasn't..  but that's just another example, let's put that to one side for the sake of the Austin subject.

I wouldn't argue with any of that, but then it wasn't the point I made. Which was that Morfuni has always been transparent about Austin's role at the club.

I wouldn't argue with any of that, but then it wasn't the point I made. Which was that Morfuni has always been transparent about Austin's role at the club.

Do you think he’s just a matchday guest then?
Because that’s the stance Morfuni has been taking for some time now, even when Austin has been prancing around (from his office at the CG) regularly masquerading as our Vice Chairman. (Remember him acting as the club’s representative at the signing of the Karachi deal).

Clem may have been honest or transparent about what he wanted Austin to do, however since it became obvious that he wouldn’t be allowed to fulfill that role Morfuni has been anything but transparent.

I have no idea. Do you have any details of anything he has been involved in that would prove he is anything other than a match day guest? I don't.

You posted that he’s been describing himself as Vice Chairman or even chairman, is that not proof?


As for the Karachi thing, we were informed it was a voluntary thing by Austin. That may be bullshit. Again, do you have anything to show it is not true?

The pictures of him at the signing of the deal at the Pakistan High Commission in his Swindon Town gear, with the comments about him being a STFC official.


I mean, with regards to Austin, I go back to something I said earlier... he was involved with the club for at least 7 years before Morfuni took over. Why did you all only become concerned after the takeover? Has he been involved in anything dodgy during the time of his involvement with the club?

In fairness he was overshadowed by Power, I think most were focused on getting rid of Power, and hoped that Morfuni would clear house & get rid of the hangers on (including Austin).

I think most have been critical of him since Power left, but you’re right we have no proof of criminal activity since then, other than masquerading as something he’s not allowed to be.

So the issue is, then, what Austin has been saying, rather than Morfuni's transparency. Well, I agree with you. As I already told you, I'm not arguing about it, merely pointing out that Morfuni has been transparent.

But you seem intent on putting words in my mouth to create an argument. I also didn't say that "you can't be concerned now because he was doing shady stuff in the background 7 years prior"...you made that up. I asked why you only became concerned about him after Morfuni took over, when he had already been at the club for at least 7 years.

For the record, Morfuni has stated, publically, when asked directly on Austin's role, that he has no official role in the club. Austin spouting off, saying otherwise is exactly that. Austin spouting off.

Are you broken? what sort of response is that.

Anyway. Back to transfer rumours. I don't even know how we got here.

There are now 4-5 pages of non-transfer related stuff in this STFC Transfer Rumours thread.

This was started by a post from me highlighting a report showing that a youth goalkeeper was potentially being linked with a move to either Spurs or Arsenal.

If you want to start yet another playground fight about something not transfer related, then have the decency to start your own thread that others can ignore if they so wish. But, this thread, I would suggest, is one that all STFC fans on the forum are likely to want to be interested in.

There are now 4-5 pages of non-transfer related stuff in this STFC Transfer Rumours thread.

This was started by a post from me highlighting a report showing that a youth goalkeeper was potentially being linked with a move to either Spurs or Arsenal.

If you want to start yet another playground fight about something not transfer related, then have the decency to start your own thread that others can ignore if they so wish. But, this thread, I would suggest, is one that all STFC fans on the forum are likely to want to be interested in.